The New Zealand Parliament has voted to impose record suspensions on three lawmakers who did a Maori haka as a protest. The incident took place last November during a debate on a law on Indigenous rights.
New Zealand’s parliament on Thursday agreed to lengthy suspensions for three lawmakers who disrupted the reading of a controversial bill last year by performing a haka, a traditional Maori dance.
Two parliamentarians — Te Pati Maori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi — were suspended for 21 days and one — Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, from the same party — for seven days.
Before now, the longest suspension of a parliamentarian in New Zealand was three days.
Sure, if you’re willfully ignoring context. These were legislators wearing suits doing it in parliament to make a political point, not armed warriors doing it on a battlefield. The only ‘fear’ was entirely dishonest and performative, not real.
My goddamn family doing that to me in suits would scare me. They’re effective, and they did a good job performing it.
Sure, at no point was there a literal threat of actual physical violence. If there was, I’d expect them to be barred for life.
With the element of surprise? Hell yes, I would be shook. I kinda think you would too.
Buds give your nuts a tug.
I think you guys are being tough on the internet, actually. IRL a good battle display gets audience reactions, although I’ve never been around the Maori kind.
Huh, sounds like you’re projecting.